The Associated Press is reporting this evening that law enforcement provided the NFL with the now-infamous tape of Ray Rice sucker-punching his fiance five months ago, complete with a thankful NFL exec saying on voicemail: “You’re right. It’s terrible.”

For those who have been calling on the league to fire Commissioner Roger Goodell, this is when they get to take a knee and run out the clock.

If the AP story is accurate, there is just no way for the NFL to maintain any semblance of credibility — no way to “protect the shield” — with Goodell at the helm. Remember, it’s been less than 24 hours since Goodell went on television to say that neither he nor anyone else in the league offices saw the tape. At best, he was duped by an underling. At worst, he lied. Either way, he failed at his job.